Prayer Policy

Alcuin School is a nonsectarian community that honors diversity and respects differences.  As such, Alcuin has adopted the prayer policy below with those community values in mind. 

Home Games:

• Alcuin staff and coaches will not prompt or lead any formal or informal prayers at athletic events.
• Alcuin coaches will not stop a student who on his/her own wishes to lead or participate in a prayer with their teammates. The student will be asked to be respectful and inclusive in his/her choice of words (to the best of his/her ability) if he/she chooses to lead a prayer. Alcuin students may join in prayers led by opponents on our HOME court, but will not be encouraged to do so as prayer is an individual choice.
• Students who wish to opt out of any prayer will be under no pressure to participate and will be asked to stand or sit in a chair quietly.
• If asked, guests/visitors/opponents at Alcuin home games will be directed to organize prayers away from center court. Appropriate places would be at their bench, outside the gymnasium, or on the sidelines. Out of respect, a prayer in progress would not be interrupted. 

Away Games:

• Alcuin staff and coaches will not prompt or lead any formal or informal prayers at athletic events.
• When invited by opponents to join their team in prayer, students may decide to participate, or not, on an individual basis. Alcuin students and faculty are asked to stand or sit quietly during prayer if not participating.
• Students who wish to opt out of any prayer will be under no pressure from Alcuin staff to participate.
• A coach will remain on the sideline with any student(s) who choose not to participate. Additional coaches may participate with other students to be present with them.

Student Communications:

• Alcuin staff and coaches will periodically remind students before home games that as hosts we need to respect the values of our guests without compromising our own values. This may mean permitting others to pray even if we elect not to participate in those prayers.
• Alcuin staff and coaches will periodically remind students before away games that as guests we need to respect our host's values without compromising our own values. Students will be encouraged as independent thinkers to make their own decision on whether to participate in prayers or to respectfully decline to participate.
• Parents are expected to communicate with their students openly and constructively about diversity of religion and how best to model good sportsmanship and tolerance while maintaining our community value of individual choice.